Previously loyal but .....

[MsSoCalCruiser]

If you sail Princess you can add Princess plus for about $50 a day and that includes the alcohol package, Internet package, and gratuities.

[L454S]

14 minutes ago, MsSoCalCruiser said:

If you sail Princess you can add Princess plus for about $50 a day and that includes the alcohol package, Internet package, and gratuities.

 We have found this also. Have found sailings with Princess where running the numbers made them a better value than RCI even with D+ perks.

 

We found Princess to be on a par with Royal as far as onboard experience.

[ReneeFLL]

never mind

Edited July 27, 2022 by ReneeFLL

[kernow]

We've become fans of MSC recently, have done 4 with another one booked. Outside of YC the prices can be a bargain and the cruise is pretty good, YC is outstanding, IMHO much better than anything Royal offers. Definitely check out the MSC board, not so many die hard fans who won't accept anyone else's opinion over there. I always define the difference as MSC is more European, Royal is more American.

 

We still sail Royal too as we like the variety, we've enjoyed Celebrity in the past but their prices seem expensive now and if we're paying that we'd rather do YC. Tried NCL once years ago, it was just OK and we've never been back.

[love to cruise 2017]

hi....

 

yes i loyal to rci, but we sailed Europe on MSC. a few months ago....and we were very surprised!!! after reading all the bad things and having a few issues. the cruise it self was amazing!!

 

the service and crew  was outstanding and the food was great!..yes the shows were different but still fun to watch. a totally different experience to all our other cruises . 

 

would we cruise on msc again...hell yes, worth the money as long you understand your on a European ship...and want to exp something different. 

[island lady]

16 hours ago, cruiselvr04 said:

You will love your Viking river cruise!  We did a 2 week one and it was great.  Different for sure from ocean but a wonderful trip.  The biggest misses are sea days to recharge.  We plan on doing a 2 week one in France soon.  

 

We have done two previous river cruises with other companies...but they were only one week at a time.  

 

This one is 3 weeks, passing by four countries in middle Europe.  Excited about it for sure...and am really leaning towards other Viking cruises...good reviews.  🙂 

[boogybaby]

We are diamond with royal and loyalty matched to MSC and received their top level diamond. There are good discounts on many sailings if you look at the loyalty section. We have enjoyed 3 MSC cruises, 1 in yacht club which was fantastic but the cruises with a balcony were also good

[Travel R]

You ain't gonna know till ya tries it yerself.

[LMaxwell]

Have done a handful of MSC cruises and enjoyed them.  Only dud was a 3 day cruise, of which I've had dud's on Royal too.  I would sail MSC again.  

[Nunagoras]

As I use to say: Understanding the product class is the key point to set expectations. Both RCI, NCL, MSC, Carnival and Costa lines will offer you what is now known as "Contemporary" or "mainstream" cruise experience on the global market, and that from a market analyst point of view that I was for some 20 years equates to the service level of any "mainstream" European 4* hotel on land, and that means you'll have a nice and clean room/cabin, a nice included couple of food venues, a nice public area environment, in the case of cruising a nice set of entertainment... But, just that. You'll have a general, standardized service that is usually not personalized and not meant to be true luxurious. The general sense of quality will most likely to be the same either one you chose, with some distinctiveness points cruise line by cruise line. I'd to go with no doubts on everyone of them, even though Carnival and Costa ships inside decoration seems really sort of on the ugly side of the pound.

 

Obviously: Mainstream cruise wise, nobody can beat an RCI Oasis class vessel to date... But nobody else has a ship large enough to such so many food and entertainment options like an Oasis class really offers. If for one the ship is the destination, then Oasis class are the vessels for you!...

 

That said, and removing the huge Oasis "wow" factor; I feel that MSC gives me generally a best value for my bucks. It's an Italian line with a very multinational client crowd, surely; but I'm not a native English speaking individual myself either... And in some ways it is a slightly more refined sort of experience as far as things go, giving me at least part of what a Princess/X experience should give me at an affordable fare.

 

Never cruised on the other aforementioned cruise lines, but pay attention to the market tag on offer. Princess or X might not be far more expensive than RCI or MSC, but they're what I can call top mainstream, classic experience, or say, what a 4*+ hotel should resemble here in Europe.

 

Viking, Oceania, and so on? That is true 5* European hotel standards, meant for mid to true luxury, if one wants to describe that way. Regent, Seabourne, Silversea, and possibly soon to be Explora, all of those are top luxury on the 5*+ service level...

 

Have on NCL or YC on MSC? Ships within a ship concept. They'll give you at least part of the benefits of such a Princess/X or even superior experience... But both of them are becoming somewhat overpriced for the benefit. Don't forget: You remain inside the same contemporary ships with the masses!... Sometimes an Inside YC cabin comes as a real bargain though. Less times than what it used to be, but there are some opportunities...

 

In summary only you can access whether one cruise line fits you or not. Go with the flow with my above analysis in mind will give you some tools to have a better look about the product. Have a nice day and nice sailings!...

Edited July 27, 2022 by Nunagoras

[Billy Baltic]

Thanks everyone for sharing your experience. As someone pointed out, we won’t know until we try. 
And to the person who said we would return to RC, we definitely will, when their itineraries freshen up. 

[cruisequeen4ever]

If you have kids and they’re used to all the fun features of Royal, I’d try one of Norwegian or Carnival’s newer ships. 

[Tatka]

On 7/26/2022 at 1:24 PM, FionaMG said:

We've sailed twice with MSC, once on Poesia which is one of the smaller, older ones and once on Divina. No complaints with either. They did what they said on the tin and we enjoyed both cruises. Divina is a beautiful ship.

 

We found the service on board to be reactive rather than proactive. That said, on each of our cruises an issue that arose was dealt with promptly and to our satisfaction. We thought the food in MDR was quite hit or miss, but liked the many healthy (think Mediterranean diet) options in the buffet. Lots of veggies and salads, more bread options as opposed to sugary cakes at breakfast, and so on.

 

We would definitely consider sailing with them again if they were offering what we wanted when we wanted it.

 

We sailed on both and liked experience. Even though Divina was more modern Poesia was more authentic Italian. We had real Italian tenor, real Sicilian guitar duo etc. Loved design and decor of both! Loved shows in theater. Every day production show. 

 

We found food to be on a weaker side. Especially meat dishes. I am ok with non meat, but husband tried several times to cut it with little success.

[smara24514]

Sorry if I am late to the dance but just to share. We have been on more than a dozen RC cruises but the last two have been on Princess. We did the British Isles on the Emerald Princess (Emerald Princess/Emerald Isle...see what they did there? LOL).

 

We had a great time. The food was at least good. The service was fine. The shows/entertainers were very good. The ship was nice. Crown Gill (Chops equivalent) was great. We did a price upgrade and got gratuities, drink package, wi-fi, premium restaurant. Felt like a good value.

We are actually between RC and Princess for Europe next year.

We have an RC cruise out of Galveston coming up which may help us decide.

[FionaMG]

2 hours ago, Tatka said:

 

We sailed on both and liked experience. Even though Divina was more modern Poesia was more authentic Italian. We had real Italian tenor, real Sicilian guitar duo etc. Loved design and decor of both! Loved shows in theater. Every day production show. 

 

We found food to be on a weaker side. Especially meat dishes. I am ok with non meat, but husband tried several times to cut it with little success.

I remember there being classical singers on our sailings too. Not something you'd usually see on Royal. They were outstanding and got a standing ovation.

[DrSea]

NCL and RCL offer really similar products tbh. It really depends on what you are looking for. They are more similar than different. It's not like comparing RCL to like Viking. 

 

For ex. I really like the flow rider, and no other brand offers me that. I have a blast and it's almost the highlight of my cruise. To many on here, the flow rider is a waste of space. So it really depends on your own personal tastes and you have to exp it yourself regardless of what we say.

 

With that being said

 

- NCL has more ethnic food. If you only like Americana, then NCL may not be for you. 

- I find the shows on NCL to be better. I have a degree in theater and am a theater snob when it comes to stuff like that. Cats is terrible imho. 

- You don't need to do the Haven unless you want a separate place away from the masses. But it doesn't mean that kids won't be there running around. The Vibe beach club is an adults only place that has limited availability so that it's not overly crowded. If you get the Haven, it's frequently advised not to get the Vibe pass for cost reasons. 

- Honestly, the night life is just livelier on NCL (and CCL) compared to RCL. Some people hate that and want a quieter experience. Others thrive in that. I am flexible and can go either way. 

- Back to food, NCL has bar food 24/7. I love having buffalo wings or Shepard's pie at 2 am. Depending on time zones, I could be up at 2 am wide awake. 

 

In summary, try all cruise lines that you can afford. I thought I would hate Viking. It's ok. I am just not their target audience since I am in my early 30s and want stuff to do, like with the flow rider. I thought I would like HAL. After sailing, I HATE HAL with a burning passion and will not cruise with them again (unless I get a good deal. haha). But I would not have known without trying it. 

[Tatka]

2 hours ago, FionaMG said:

I remember there being classical singers on our sailings too. Not something you'd usually see on Royal. They were outstanding and got a standing ovation.

I found my old recordings . well quality isn’t good 

 

 

On Divina we had opera with Ukrainian opera singers Iryna Zima and Nazar

[Nunagoras]

11 hours ago, Tatka said:

I found my old recordings . well quality isn’t good 

On Divina we had opera with Ukrainian opera singers Iryna Zima and Nazar

Wonderful memories, thanks!... Quality is just perfect for the purpose, no worries!... 🙂 

 

This is the perfect example of what should have been the true Italian distinctiveness I wish MSC have retained on their new builds while turning up their game on other things (buffet offerings come on my mind really, and a better cooperation between some ship departments, as well). Sadly in many things es just becoming only such plus one more, trying to please everyone... Ending up pleasing nobody else!...

[Rogueperson]

Whether or not you sail with kids is the big question, as the main lines cater to kids better than the premium lines.

 

That being said, in 2010, I would have considered Celebrity on par with Princess.  In 2015,  I took a 15 night on Celebrity and was a little underwhelmed compared with my previous experience with Celebrity.  In 2019 prior to the pandemic, I took a Princess cruise and was blown away with their service and quality.  Comparing the two, I now believe that Princess is a little better than Celebrity, but I've heard rumors that they've stepped up their game significantly since 2015, but i haven't been on one since.  Royal is still my go to line, but I'm not against trying new lines.

A little tidbit.  I've previously labeled best burger on a cruise ship as Guy's burger on Carnival, but Princess' Salty Dog Grill blew that away handily.  So now its Princess that has the best burgers for me.  I was comparing free burgers, so i didn't count Princess' pay burger (which is good) and can't compare it to Playmaker's burger (haven't had a chance to try it yet)

[Tatka]

12 minutes ago, Rogueperson said:

Whether or not you sail with kids is the big question, as the main lines cater to kids better than the premium lines.

 

That being said, in 2010, I would have considered Celebrity on par with Princess.  In 2015,  I took a 15 night on Celebrity and was a little underwhelmed compared with my previous experience with Celebrity.  In 2019 prior to the pandemic, I took a Princess cruise and was blown away with their service and quality.  Comparing the two, I now believe that Princess is a little better than Celebrity, but I've heard rumors that they've stepped up their game significantly since 2015, but i haven't been on one since.  Royal is still my go to line, but I'm not against trying new lines.

A little tidbit.  I've previously labeled best burger on a cruise ship as Guy's burger on Carnival, but Princess' Salty Dog Grill blew that away handily.  So now its Princess that has the best burgers for me.  I was comparing free burgers, so i didn't count Princess' pay burger (which is good) and can't compare it to Playmaker's burger (haven't had a chance to try it yet)

 

Princess and Celebrity were our #1 lines till ... 2019. We had Christmas on Explorer of the Seas and New Year on Crown Princess. We expected Explorer to be whatever it would be, but Princess to be a highlight. Well.. we were so disappointed. Ship was in bad shape. Paint was peeling in lifts, there was strange smell, food was also not Princess usual food.

Before that we had excellent experiences! Especially on Royal Princess. So I would probably pick newer ships.

We had excellent experiences on Celebrity Summit and Edge recently after revolutionnary updates.

[Rogueperson]

15 minutes ago, Tatka said:

 

Princess and Celebrity were our #1 lines till ... 2019. We had Christmas on Explorer of the Seas and New Year on Crown Princess. We expected Explorer to be whatever it would be, but Princess to be a highlight. Well.. we were so disappointed. Ship was in bad shape. Paint was peeling in lifts, there was strange smell, food was also not Princess usual food.

Before that we had excellent experiences! Especially on Royal Princess. So I would probably pick newer ships.

We had excellent experiences on Celebrity Summit and Edge recently after revolutionnary updates.

 

This is a stellar example of each cruise pretty much stands on its own.  I know that the best cruise i've ever taken was Carnival, but I also know that I will never repeat that experience (I got married on the Carnival Pride in 2015).  The worst cruise I've ever been on remains my 10 night Jewel of the Sea itinerary in 2008.  Despite Royal Caribbean holding the distinction of worst cruise ever (and incidentally, my first cruise with Royal), Royal happens to be my go to cruise line now as I've sailed the most with them.  Fortunately, I've had more good cruises with Royal (probably why i default to them now).  To this day, I have no idea why that one Jewel cruise was so bad.  It pales in comparison to all my other Royal cruises.

Edited July 28, 2022 by Rogueperson

[George C]

On 7/27/2022 at 4:05 PM, Tatka said:

 

We sailed on both and liked experience. Even though Divina was more modern Poesia was more authentic Italian. We had real Italian tenor, real Sicilian guitar duo etc. Loved design and decor of both! Loved shows in theater. Every day production show. 

 

We found food to be on a weaker side. Especially meat dishes. I am ok with non meat, but husband tried several times to cut it with little success.

When we were on Allure 8 months ago jazz quartet 3 of the 4 were Sicilian singer was from Naples. We listen to them every night. Love that oasis class has a jazz club.

[deliver42]

I don't know what to make of the Jewel. I'm Diamond on Royal, but in 2009 my late wife and I  celebrated our 25th anniversary on her and it was the worst cruise I've been on . The food was awful and the entertainment worse. Thankfully that was in the past, and I still love Royal.

[aubreyc1988]

I haven't sailed Celebrity but I am platinum on NCL and enjoy sailing NCL the most

 

Here is a quick comparison (my opinion only) and the last time I was on Royal was pre-pandemic. 

 

1) NCL has a way more relaxed vibe than RCI (freestyle dining and general dress code)

2) NCL offers more perks (free at sea perks), but you do pay for them when booking, but it normally is a good deal

3) Royal has better shows, but NCL has better game shows and nightlife parties

4) NCL has a better 24 hr dining option onboard than most RCI ships

5) Food is similar but I might give the edge to NCL due to the affordability of specialty dining, ala carte dining

5) NCL ships have the waterfront, which is a really neat space to hang out in

6) Overall very similar 

[LMaxwell]

1 hour ago, aubreyc1988 said:

 

5) NCL ships have the waterfront, which is a really neat space to hang out in

 

 

It really is.  I'm surprised Royal hasn't significantly modified Oasis-class ships with this feature as they continue to build the same basic design approaching its 15th year anniversary, a frequent critique is the lack of ocean views from the promenade.  NCL did great with it's waterfront concept.